m: 1.
jiu jorū sirnāvaṇī āvai vāro vār.
jūṭhe jūṭhā mukhi vasai nit nit hoi khuāru.
sūce ehi na ākhīahi bahani ji pinḍā dhoi.
sūce seī nānakā jin mani vasiā soi.2.
jiu jorū sirnāvaṇī āvai vāro vār.
jūṭhe jūṭhā mukhi vasai nit nit hoi khuāru.
sūce ehi na ākhīahi bahani ji pinḍā dhoi.
sūce seī nānakā jin mani vasiā soi.2.
m: 1. |
jiu jorū sirnāvaṇī āvai vāro vār. |
jūṭhe jūṭhā mukhi vasai nit nit hoi khuāru. |
sūce ehi na ākhīahi bahani ji pinḍā dhoi. |
sūce seī nānakā jin mani vasiā soi.2. |
Guru Nanak describes the menstrual cycle and various rituals that come along with that natural cycle in order to situate us in the broader idea of purity versus impurity. This verse is often misunderstood as being a statement just on menstrual cycles instead of a larger statement on purity. The context of this verse is the practice of sirnavani, or washing the head. As per the Sanatan (old Hindu) religious texts, a woman undergoing her menstrual cycle is required to take a bath on the fourth day, wash her hair, and then see the face of her husband and eat food. This is a ritual meant to purify the woman during what was deemed to be her impure state, due to menstruation.
Guru Nanak asks, how can we call a woman impure if this thing that we call “impurity” visits her periodically, or naturally? What about all of these Brahmin men who call her impure, who keep washing their mouths with water to ceremonially purify themselves, but whose mouths are constantly filled with hypocrisy and lies and dirt and filth? These people are full of lies and trash every day, not just periodically. There will always be people who create these distinctions of purity and impurity and set us up to be policed, to be hyper-aware of these ideas in a way that makes us fixate on things that do not matter. Those same people policing us and setting these standards, condemning us to our designations, do this while they themselves are not pure in the ways that matter. Purity does not come from washing ourselves in particular water, or going through certain ceremonies and rituals at certain times, or offering certain things to our ancestors. Purity comes when 1Force (One Universal Integrative Force, also referred to as 1-Ness) resides in our minds.
Guru Nanak asks, how can we call a woman impure if this thing that we call “impurity” visits her periodically, or naturally? What about all of these Brahmin men who call her impure, who keep washing their mouths with water to ceremonially purify themselves, but whose mouths are constantly filled with hypocrisy and lies and dirt and filth? These people are full of lies and trash every day, not just periodically. There will always be people who create these distinctions of purity and impurity and set us up to be policed, to be hyper-aware of these ideas in a way that makes us fixate on things that do not matter. Those same people policing us and setting these standards, condemning us to our designations, do this while they themselves are not pure in the ways that matter. Purity does not come from washing ourselves in particular water, or going through certain ceremonies and rituals at certain times, or offering certain things to our ancestors. Purity comes when 1Force (One Universal Integrative Force, also referred to as 1-Ness) resides in our minds.
Just as a woman menstruates repeatedly every month, similarly falsehood and slander dwell in the mouth of the liar, and come out of their mouth continuously. Because of this, such a person is humiliated daily.
The people who think they have become pure by having merely washed their bodies, cannot be called pure. They alone are pure, in whose heart IkOankar resides.
The people who think they have become pure by having merely washed their bodies, cannot be called pure. They alone are pure, in whose heart IkOankar resides.
Just as, to a woman, menstruation comes repeatedly (and during this period she continuously bleeds, in the same way) impurity abides in the mouth of the impure, (from which lies are emitted, due to which one) experiences humiliation everyday.
These (people) cannot be called pure, who are seated, having washed the body (alone).
O Nanak! Pure are they alone, in whose heart is residing That (IkOankar).
These (people) cannot be called pure, who are seated, having washed the body (alone).
O Nanak! Pure are they alone, in whose heart is residing That (IkOankar).
In this salok, by way of beautiful illustration, the Guru exposes the hypocrisy in the character of a liar. Just as the process of menstrual cycle continues in a woman, lie/falsehood continues to flow from the mouth of a liar.
The second half of the salok utilizes simple linguistic expressions and satire. Taking issue with the fixation on outer cleanliness, the salok states that those who merely wash their bodies cannot be called pure. In reality, only those individuals who have IkOankar residing in their hearts are pure.
There are a total of four lines in this salok, whose meter convention is 13+11. So this salok can be categorized under a two line verse/couplet with 13+11 characters each (doharā chand). This salok has been created by putting together two doharā chands.
The second half of the salok utilizes simple linguistic expressions and satire. Taking issue with the fixation on outer cleanliness, the salok states that those who merely wash their bodies cannot be called pure. In reality, only those individuals who have IkOankar residing in their hearts are pure.
There are a total of four lines in this salok, whose meter convention is 13+11. So this salok can be categorized under a two line verse/couplet with 13+11 characters each (doharā chand). This salok has been created by putting together two doharā chands.